From Where the Silence Echoes
by monokowritesstuff
Summary: Tensions run high as the waters of Jotaro and Kakyoin's relationship are tested by a number of factors; and two new characters in their odd tale serve to put a spin on things in a way they'd never imagine. (A companion fic to Sing For Me, Darling!)
1. -1- A Prelude for the Elegant

"I won't be here for a few days."

Those were the most recent words Kakyoin had spoken to Jotaro.

"Hmph. So you're going to leave me here all by myself, eh?" he had teased back, the slightest twinge of a smile trained on his lips.

"No, I'm going to turn you in to the bank as collateral for a loan," Kakyoin shot right back, his grin much more apparent. "Of course I am, silly. We don't have much of a choice for otherwise."

"Woe is me..." Jotaro pressed a hand to his forehead, making his fin ears droop to feign distress. "I'll be _all_ alone, with no one to protect me from the _horrible_ villagers... Whatever shall I do?"

Kakyoin chuckled at his dramatic act, twiddling with his noodly bang. He was clearly preoccupied about something. Jotaro cupped his boyfriend's face in his hands, almost forcing him to stare him in the eye.

"Noriaki." Jotaro said, the smile from earlier twisting itself into a slight scowl. "Tell me what's bothering you."

"N-nothing." Kakyoin turned away as best he could. "I don't understand where you'd get such a such an idea from."

Jotaro sighed and released the painter's face, instead electing to draw him into a tight hug. He instinctively nuzzled into his neck, hoping that the tensing of Kakyoin's body that he felt was only temporary.The siren was used to Kakyoin's quiet worrying by now, but something about this time was different. The painter had bags under his eyes and his skin had become pallid to the point of greyness. It was almost as if he had quite literally worried himself sick.

"Tell me." he mumbled softly.

"Tch... I'm just worried, Jojo..." The painter sighed and returned the siren's hug. "I don't want to leave you alone for this long..."

"I've been alone for much longer than this before. You're being silly."

"I know, I know, but... If you get hurt, and I can't do anything to help you, I-"

Jotaro shushed his lover by gently placing his index finger over his lips.

"You sound like a wayward housewife. Relax, Noriaki. I'll be fine."

"If you say so..." Kakyoin paused. "What are you going to do while I'm gone?"

"Probably go back home. I'm sure my mom misses me. Probably thinks I'm dead or somethin' by now."

Kakyoin clucked his tongue at the siren, a little more than slightly disappointed.

"Don't talk like that, Jojo. I'm sure Ms. Holly is worried about you, but not to that extent."

"Pfft. You haven't met my mother, then. She worries about me to death most of the time, and if I'm gone for more than a day at a time she assumes the worst."

Jotaro didn't mean for his tone to be so scathing. He understood more than anybody why his mother worried, yet that didn't stop him from being annoyed at her constant nagging. She still treated him as if he were a child; not to mention how his grandfather seemed to influence her in more ways than one. The siren's mind began to wander, teasing him with pleasant dreams of true independence. Kakyoin snapped him back to reality within seconds, however.

"Jojo. I have to go now. It's getting late. Or, well, early, in our case." the painter gently planted a kiss on Jotaro's forehead with a breathy smile. "I'll miss you lots, you know."

"Mmm. You're such a sap." the siren returned his affections with a purr in his voice. "But I'll miss you too."

"Tell Ms. Holly I said hello, okay?"

"I will." Jotaro sighed. "Though explaining all this to her'll be actual hell on earth."

"You think so? She seems like she'd understand completely, though."

"Hmph. She's still dense as all hell though. The woman acts like a rock, some days."

The siren awkwardly chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck, and the painter soon followed suit, artificially filling the air with a faintly jovial feeling. The atmosphere lacked any actual meaning, however, and soon enough their laughter died down as if it had never begun in the first place. Jotaro didn't want him to leave. He felt selfish for feeling that way, but on the same token, he felt as if his selfishness was entirely justified. Their relationship was akin to a ship; seemingly stable and steady, but ready to capsize at a moment's notice. As much as he liked to delude himself, the siren knew all too well that all the happiness in the world wouldn't stop the looming threat of the collapse of everything they held dear, and it was this that made him instinctively protective.

 _'Good grief...'_ he thought to himself with an internal shake of his head. ' _The woman is rubbing off on me.'_

The bittersweet goodbyes that the pair had imparted upon each other did nothing to soothe the disquiet brewing in Jotaro's heart. As he watched the painter depart from their meeting place, something within him was screaming that this would be the last time he'd see him. Soon enough, this voice became louder than his own rational thought.

"Noriaki!" he called in a voice that was louder than he meant it to be, regretting his outburst within a matter of seconds. "Come back. Just for a second."

The painter made an exasperated show of turning on his heel, but Jotaro knew that his dramatics were all in jest. Kakyoin flopped down on the edge of the pier, a slight pout accentuating his lips.

"This better be important, or I'll never forgive you."

"Tch... it is." the siren searched for the perfect words,not wanting to sound dumber than he already felt. "Just... Be careful, alright?"

"Now _I_ have to get on _your_ case for worrying." Kakyoin said dismissively. "I'll be fine, Jotaro. It's yourself that you should be worried about."

"But what if something happens to you? What if they–"

The painter took his turn to shush his boyfriend, albeit through alternative means. As they parted from their embrace, Jotaro's fin ears drooped to the point of being pressed flat to his head.

"Do you trust me, Jotaro?"

"Yes, but..."

" _Do you trust me, Jotaro?_ "

The siren sighed and gave the painter a sad smile.

"Yes."

"So then, don't worry, okay?"

"I... I won't."

"Good."

The painter turned tail once more and waved a quiet goodbye to Jotaro, a smile still settled on his lips. Although he felt as if there was a storm brewing on the horizon of both his life and the sea, the siren was confident that he'd have an anchor in the form of his boyfriend.

 _ **AN: So y'all are probably wondering where the hell I've been; and, in short, I've been on a mini hiatus. I've been posting small drabbles on my Wattpad account, but none of my bigger projects have been updated in a while. So, with this companion thing to SFMD, I hope to make a comeback~! thank you for your patience.**_


	2. -2- An Opera for the Lost

In hindsight, Jotaro felt bad for snapping at his family.

The siren was welcomed home with warmer smiles than he had expected, and his mother had clung to him as if he had been gone for several centuries; not to mention the fact that his grandfather had even gotten misty-eyed at his return.

"Where have you been, you rascal?" he jokingly scolded. "Your mother had been worried sick about you!"

"I've been around." Jotaro replied dismissively. He wasn't as up for jokes as the others, and was certainly not in the mood for merriment in the vein of what they had probably schemed. "Been doing some thinking on my own."

"I'm just glad you're okay, Jotaro!" his mother said in her typical honey covered tone. "I missed you _so_ much!"

The siren simply grunted and 'accepted' the hugs granted to him. Kakyoin was still overwhelmingly on his mind, and it didn't seem like the painter would cease clouding his judgement anytime soon.

His grandfather waved a hand in front of his face, snapping him out of his reverie.

"Jotaro? You seem off, son. What's gotten into you? Did something-"

"No. I'm fine." Jotaro batted his hand away forcefully. "Just... I need some more time alone, alright?"

And alone was where he currently found himself, bobbing amongst the waves absentmindedly. The stars twinkling overhead seemed to taunt him, blinking on and off as if to convey some secret message that only they understood. The siren used the gentle forces of the sea to roll onto a rock that had just so happened to be jutting out of the water that made up his aimless path. He glared up at the starry sky, the glittering pinpricks of light and gently shining moon doing nothing to improve his mood. As much as he wanted to pretend like he wasn't worried at the painter's sudden departure, it was all too clear in his body language. The lack of details that Kakyoin had provided had finally begin to sink in, causing Jotaro's anxiousness to skyrocket. For all he knew, his lover _wasn't_ coming back, and all the reassuring that he had done was just a clever front to prevent the siren from thinking too deeply into his absence.

Jotaro's mind began to wander into dark and desolate places; ones where Kakyoin had been whisked away by the townsfolk to a place beyond his imagination, perhaps even into the open arms of death itself. Soon enough, his thoughts turned into a waking nightmare, with the painter being just within his line of sight and yet still barely out of his reach. Jotaro released a snarl of frustration, making a motion to slick his hair back but stopping himself halfway through.

In the distance he could just barely make out the hazy halo of a ship on the horizon, cutting through the waters with a sort of silent pride. It seemed to be making a direct course to his perch, causing the siren to dive back into the water, fearful that the humans aboard would try something brash if they happened to spot him. His family was there to greet him, seemingly summoned by the sudden appearance of the ship.

"Jotaro," his grandfather said, a mischievous grin plastered on his face. "When was the last time you sunk a boat?"

"It has been a while, right?" his mother affirmed almost just as slyly.

"It has, yeah. Why?" Jotaro replied, raising a suspicious eyebrow. Those two knew better than anyone that he didn't indulge in the sinking of ships unless he absolutely had to; and the cunning shine to their eyes left little to the imagination on what their plans were. He decided to humor them anyway, hoping they wouldn't confirm his suspicions.

"Well... We've noticed you've been down in the dumps since you gotten home—"

"And Papa and I were thinking that sinking a ship as big as this one would put you back into high spirits!"

The siren pressed a hand to his forehead, letting out the heaviest sigh he could muster.

"No. I'm not—"

"Now, Jotaro, hold on a second," Holly paused his thought with a hand. "You said yourself that it's been a while since you've sunk a ship. You know that isn't healthy for us, right?"

"I don't care." he replied with a roll of his eyes. "There's no way in hell that you'll get me to even think about this. I'm not doing it."

"For God's sake, Jotaro, stop being stubborn!" Joseph struggled to keep his voice level, its volume and pitch wavering with his effort. "Your mother and I are worried about you, so—"

"So," Jotaro spat, beginning to lose his patience. "You should keep your worries to yourself, because I'm _not_ getting caught up in your shenanigans. That's final."

"J-Jotaro... We just..." His mother buried her face into her hands, her shoulders shaking with barely concealed sobs. "We just want the best for you! Is... Is that so _wrong_?"

Jotaro haughtily drew her into a hug, awkwardly patting her back with a heavy sigh.

"Tch... Fine. Just this once. But you've gotta stop crying. It's annoying."

Holly wiped her tears with a smile, then returned the hug her son had given her with an even tighter one. Jotaro practically pried her off of him, uttering a quick "good grief" for good measure. He swam back up to the surface, peeking over the rock he had been laying on earlier for the perfect place to lead the ship to. A little ways away there was a craggy outcrop of stone that was just the right distance from both him and the ship. He hastily dove back under the waves, praying that he wouldn't miss his opportunity. They'd never let him live it down.

Seating himself on the least sharp stone in the outcrop, Jotaro sighed and looked out to the horizon once more. The ship had glided past his initial perch, and it seemed as if it were going to sail right past him if he wasn't careful. There was no turning back. The siren adjusted himself with the utmost of care,sucked in a huge breath of air, and began to sing.

He hoped that he wouldn't regret this.


	3. -3- A Concerto for the Wayward

The ship turned course more quickly than he thought it would, heading straight for him in what felt like an instant. He stretched towards the heavens, his eyes lazily tracking the ship on its way to certain doom. It didn't seem as if it was even thinking about trying to prevent the inevitable, which left the siren to wonder if the crew onboard were even any semblance of competent. As it collided directly into the rocks with a deafeaning crunch, a small smile instinctively trained itself onto his face, making Jotaro feel terrible about this whole scheme. It was sickening to him that he even remotely derived pleasure from the tragedy, and thoughts of Kakyoin ravaged his mind in an instant. The painter would be disappointed beyond measure if he found out; but the damage was done, and there was nothing that Jotaro could do to interfere.

Eerily, the vessel went down almost silently, save for the grinding and twisting of metal and the occasional splash of either people or parts of it falling into the water. The ship tipped forward, sending those foolish enough to be on the top deck sliding towards the rocky outcrop.

For a second, Jotaro swore he could see flashes of cherry red hair amongst the swelling crowd of people, causing a sickening feeling to sink into the pit of his stomach.

 _'It couldn't be him.'_ Jotaro's mind scrambled to think of an explanation as to why the love of his life seemed to be going down with the sinking ship. ' _It's just someone that looks like him. There's no way_.'

But unmistakeably, Kakyoin's voice rang out clearly among the myriad of cries for help, never breaking the even pitch it had even in the face of certain death. The painter was trying to save himself in any way possible, but his efforts were for naught; eventually, his white-knuckled grip on a loose beam of wood faltered. With a pitiful scream, Kakyoin fell into the merciless sea, his arms windmilling despairingly.

Jotaro could feel hot tears welling up in his eyes, and in a moment of panic, he prepared himself to dive into the water, determined to save the painter from a certain demise; however, the moment he tipped forward, Kakyoin burst out of the water with a gasp, struggling to keep afloat in the midst of the oppressing waves. The siren hesitated for just a moment, but still took the plunge into the wine dark ocean.

When he resurfaced, Kakyoin had disappeared. Jotaro looked around warily, his panic increasing with every second without the painter in his sight. He could see a current moving against the waves, a red head surfacing at the crest of it every so often. With a sigh of relief, the siren swam after it, thankful that Kakyoin was even some semblance of okay.

Surprisingly, the painter was easily outstripping Jotaro despite his clumsy swimming. Eventually, the siren had lost all his stamina in his desperate bid to catch up; and yet Kakyoin was still pulling through at the same speed, seemingly either unaffected by fatigue or too pumped full of adrenaline to care. As much as the siren wanted to rest his tired body, he knew that the moment he stopped swimming would be the moment that Kakyoin would be thrust into explicit danger.

His previously unperturbed swim was suddenly interrupted by the feeling of two pairs of hands dragging him underneath the waves. Jotaro struggled against them, but they proved to be too powerful to fight against.

The hands belonged to his mother and grandfather, which made him angry beyond measure. The fact that they were smiling only served to frustrate him more.

"You did _so_ well, Jotaro!" his mother joyfully drew him into a tight hug. "Even if your form was a little sloppy, you did-"

"Let me _go_ , dammit! I can still-" he struggled against her, his voice just barely staying even despite his volume. "I can still save him!"

"Save who?" his grandfather tilted his head confusedly. "What are you on about, Jotaro?"

The siren wrestled himself from his mother's grasp, and tore through the water, just barely holding back the tears prickling at the corners of his eyes. He could care less about how his family felt. The thing that mattered most to him at the moment was the safety of the love of his life. Jotaro burst above the waves; but there was no trace of Kakyoin anywhere. The only thing in sight was the shoreline where the pair usually met. He gave it a quick once over, and he let out a sight of semi-relief. The painter was lying face down on the white sand a little ways away from their pier, his breathing worryingly shallow yet still present nonetheless.

 _'Thank God...'_ Jotaro thought to himself. ' _He's okay...'_

As much as the siren wanted to assist his lover, there was only so much he could do from the water. Thunder began to rumble overhead, which only served to limit his options more. Rain began to come down in sheets, causing Jotaro's anxiousness to skyrocket to almost impossibly high levels. Kakyoin was already on the brink of death; and the rain would simply make his survival all the more difficult.

To make matters worse, a cloaked figure had seemingly come out of nowhere, prompting Jotaro to hide himself behind some nearby rocks. The figure was struggling to keep themselves steady in the face of the stormy winds, and they had a sort of stride about them that suggested that they were looking for something. They instead happened across the painter's dilapidated form. Jotaro knotted his brow at this, slightly bristling at how close this random stranger was getting. For all he knew, their intentions were nothing short of malicious.

The person knelt next to Kakyoin, shaking him gently. When he didn't rouse, they slung him over their shoulder and continued back along the way they came, not bothering to try to keep themselves hidden anymore. The hood of their cloak blew off in the wind, and the last thing that Jotaro saw before they disappeared into the distance was a set of golden earrings and dark, coarse hair.


	4. -4- A Chorale for the Fretful

Kakyoin jolted awake in a cold sweat in a house that was not his own. His blurred vision lent no clues as to where he was, and his memory was all too foggy for comfort.The last thing he clearly remembered was exhaustedly dragging himself onto shore, and the vague shape of what he believed to be Death looming over him menacingly; but his surroundings felt nothing like what he was told the afterlife was. Instead, they were comfortably warm with a faint earthy aroma that filled him with oddly fond memories. From what little he could perceive, he was cradled in a mountain of pillows on a bed that was too soft to be real.Kakyoin made an attempt to lean up to get a better grasp on his surroundings, but his muscles ached in protest. No matter how much he struggled, his body refused to move without causing him an obscene amount of pain. The painter let out a small sigh of frustration, letting his full weight sink into the mattress underneath him. He felt utterly worthless.

All of a sudden a realization struck him, sending a bolt of longing across his chest.

"Jotaro..." he mumbled softly, his speech slurred beyond recognition.He kept repeating the siren's name over and over as if it were some sort of charm; one that would summon him to the painter's side magically. Surprisingly, someone was drawn to his clarion call, albeit not the person he expected. Kakyoin assumed that the figure approaching his bedside must have been the person who saved his life.

"Ah, you're finally awake." his savior said in a slightly amused voice.

"Who..." is all the painter could manage to say in response.

"Who am I, eh?" the person chuckled almost inaudibly. "One could say I'm a sort of... fortune teller. As for my name, it's Muhammad Avdol. Just 'Avdol' is fine, however."

He placed a gentle hand on Kakyoin's forehead, a slightly worried crease appearing in his brow.

"You've a high fever there, lad," Avdol mumbled more to himself than Kakyoin. "How are you feeling?"

"Like shit," Kakyoin mumbled, a slight pout on his face. His entire body still felt solid as a rock, and he was beginning to get a massive headache to boot. "Can't move. Head hurts."

"As expected. After all, it's only been a day since I've found you. Although... you're in better condition than what I had initially thought, uh... I don't believe I caught your name, actually."

"'S Noriaki. N-Noriaki Kakyoin. Call me Kakyoin, please."

"As you wish. Do you have any family or friends around, Kakyoin? I'm sure they must be worried sick about you."

"A boyfriend. Lives in the- Near, the ocean. Curly black hair, piercing blue eyes, likes to sing."

Kakyoin's head was starting to fog up again, limiting his thoughts to simple phrases and ideas. He was trying his hardest to keep Jotaro's true identity a secret, his words were slipping away from him faster than he could control their flow.

"Lives near the ocean, you say? How near? Perhaps I could go out and-"

"No! N-no... That's... not a good idea... He doesn't trust easily."

Avdol shrugged his shoulders and gave Kakyoin a slightly sad smile. Something about that smile put him at ease, and before he knew it, he was speaking without a filter.

"Yeah... the people that live in my village... they try to attack him, sometimes."

"Why is that, lad?"

"He's a siren. They... they think he's gonna hurt them, so I've gotta protect him, 'n stuff..."

"I see. Kakyoin, I'll be right back."

Avdol swept out of the room in a rush, leaving Kakyoin alone with his thoughts. He felt like an idiot. He had ruined the one secret that Jotaro had entrusted him with within a matter of seconds, and there was no way that his caretaker didn't think he was absolutely insane. Kakyoin sighed and laid his head back further into the mountain of pillows that surrounded him, hoping that he'd suffocate and ease the suffering of those around him.The soft cocoon he had laid himself in didn't completely block out noise, and from what he assumed to be the next room he heard a pair of hushed voices. His name came up quite a few times, and Kakyoin began to think that his presence was a burden. Avdol shortly returned with a bowl of steaming water with a rag submerged in it. The crease in his brow was still ever present, and Kakyoin could swear that it had deepened somewhat. He wrung out the rag with a sigh and laid it on his forehead.

"Hopefully this will alleviate your fever a bit. If you need me, just give a shout. I'll be in the next room over."

Avdol pulled a blanket from the bottom of Kakyoin's bed up to his neck, tucked him in as if he were a child, and then left the room once more. Surprisingly, the heat of both the rag and the cover were making him drowsy. He felt as if he hadn't slept in a number of years, and the fact that his body was unusually heavy simply amplified the feeling. While his body felt sleepy, however, his mind was completely awake, consumed with thoughts of Jotaro. Kakyoin knew better than anybody how much the siren worried, and he feared that he would do something rash in his absence. He felt trapped. There was nothing he could do to ease the siren's qualms, especially with the fact that he probably wouldn't be returning to the pier for quite a spell looming over his head.

 _'I should have been more careful...'_ he thought, cursing himself internally. _'Jotaro's probably worried sick about me, and if I hadn't just ran off without telling him anything, then maybe things wouldn't be the way they are right now...'_

Kakyoin's drowsiness overtook him mid-thought, banishing away what little mental coherence he had. With a sigh, he finally closed his eyes, hoping that sleep would bring a better day.


	5. -5- A Bolero for the Uncertain

It took a little over a week for Kakyoin to get back on his feet again, both in the metaphorical and literal sense; his footing was still ever uncertain and hesitant, and there were days where he spent the entirety of his awake time tripping over himself. He resented the fact that his recovery was so slow, and he especially resented himself for being such a hassle to care for. Although he never uttered a word of complaint, Kakyoin could tell that Avdol was unbelievably stressed by his presence.

There was also the matter of Jotaro weighing itself heavily on his heart. Kakyoin already felt guilty enough for leaving with such few words to him in the first place, but his sudden disappearance was just icing on the cake. He knew better than anybody how rashly Jotaro tended to act in times of crisis, and the manner in which he had disappeared would only serve to make him more reckless.

Kakyoin noticed, in the midst of a bout of such worrying, that he had begun to pick up quite many unfavorable habits; his nails were bitten down to the quick, and the skin around them was picked at to the point of scabbing over. He cursed himself for letting his thoughts ensnare him that much, and quickly set off to look for some bandages.

Letting himself give into such habits would be his undoing, and there was no way he would give in to his worry that easily. Using various walls and tables for support, he wandered around Avdol's house, praying that what he sought was nearby.

His current lodgings were even more comfortable than he had initially realized; everywhere he turned there was some sort of cushion or armchair, which were all overflowing with pillows and blankets. However, Avdol didn't seem to be home at the moment, which only made Kakyoin's search harder. His initial thought to check the bathroom had proven fruitless, and there were no other places that were plausible. He turned back around with the intent to return to his room, but his path was blocked by some unfamiliar man with slush grey hair. Both he and the stranger gave a yelp of surprise, and Kakyoin lost his balance, crashing onto a nearby couch.

"Wh... Who the hell are you?!" the man said to him, his French accent heavily dragging on the end of his sentence.

"I could be asking the same thing of you." Kakyoin jeered. "Where's Mr. Avdol? What did you do to him?"

"What did I do to him, you say? You've got some balls, stranger. You're the odd one out here, as Avdol and I live here together. So I'll phrase your question to you; what did you do to him? He's been gone all morning."

"I've done nothing to him, actually. And another thing, I belong here just as much as you do. Mr. Avdol kindly took me in after a bit of a... Predicament I had."

The Frenchman folded his arms and raised a nonexistent eyebrow, curling his lip a bit in what Kakyoin assumed was a sorry attempt at looking intimidating. He wasn't phased at all by this, instead electing to stare him directly in his eye.

"Fine, fine." the man spat as his gaze faltered. "Let's just agree that we got off on somewhat of a wrong foot, okay? Call me Polnareff."

"I'd say more than somewhat," Kakyoin firmly shook his outstretched hand. "But let's put that behind us. I'm Kakyoin."

Polnareff sucked his teeth and rolled his eyes, but said nothing more. His whole demeanor screamed suspicion, but Kakyoin trusted Avdol's judgment.

"So," he began cautiously. "Do you happen to know where Avdol keeps the bandages? I need them."

"So that's what you were up for, eh?" Polnareff stroked his chin, his eyes swiveling from side to side in mock pondering. "I can't say I know. Mo- Avdol, had never really kept that kind of stuff around until you came along."

Kakyoin stood from the couch with a sigh, stretching to the heavens in an attempt to calm his shaken nerves. Millions of thoughts ran through his mind at once, most of them tainted with worry; not only did he have to fret over Jotaro and his brashness, concern for Avdol was thickly layered on top of his original feelings. He considered for a moment that perhaps his caretaker had simply gone out shopping, but he knew that that was most likely far from the truth. The most he could do was hope that Avdol would come back soon; and in the best case scenario, with some bandages.

"Hey, Kakyoin," Polnareff bit his lip, awkwardly glancing to the side. "If you need anything, while Avdol's gone... Let me know, alright? I don't know much, but... He's taught me some things."

Kakyoin made a noise that was akin to a crow being strangled, and soon enough his shoulders began to shake as his face twisted into what could barely be classified as a grin. He pressed a hand to his face in order to stifle the torrent of laughter that incoming, but in the end it was a fruitless endeavor. He cackled incessantly, almost sending himself spiraling back onto the couch with the sheer force of his mirth.

"I'm offering to help you, you know!" Polnareff said indignantly, casting a shadowed glare at Kakyoin. "If you're going to be a dick about it, then perhaps I'll take my services elsewhere!"

"No, no, it's not that," Kakyoin wiped a tear from his eye, hunching over in an attempt to stop himself from giggling. "You sounded so awkward, and I couldn't take it. But in all seriousness, I'll be fine, Polnareff. Avdol should be back soon enough, and then I'll be out of your hair. Relax."

"If you say so. Do as you like. I could care less." Polnareff turned away from Kakyoin with a dismissive wave of his hand. "But don't think for a second that we're going to be all buddy-buddy. As far as I'm concerned, you're an _asshole_."

"So be it. I had no intentions of becoming friends with you anyway."

Polnareff left the room without another word, leaving Kakyoin to his own devices. He reclined onto the couch with a smirk, letting out a quiet yawn. People like Polnareff usually annoyed Kakyoin to no end, but something about his mannerisms amused him. Perhaps recovery would be more of an adventure than he had originally thought.


	6. -6- A Minuet for the Bold

While Kakyoin was embarking on a journey of recovery, Avdol was having an adventure of his own on the shoreline. Ever since his 'patient' had mentioned his boyfriend that lived near the beach, Avdol had been struck with an insatiable need to find out more. He had dismissed it as nothing but the delusional rantings of someone knocking on death's door at first; but something about how desperate and sad Kakyoin's tone was struck a wrong chord with him. And so, he had set out in the wee hours of the morning to search for this supposed lover. However, as the day had wore on, there had been no trace of this mysterious man anywhere, and Avdol was beginning to believe that he had put all too much faith in a silly fever dream.

The sun had started to set along the seam between the ocean and the sky, discouraging Avdol even further. His search had already been hard enough in the daylight hours, and there was no telling what kind of dangers would be brought with the oncoming night. He had half a mind to jut forget about the whole thing, but as the hazy sun gave way to the chilling moon, something kept him rooted to the spot. It was an ethereal bout of singing; one that sounded just about human, with an unnatural feel that shook Avdol to his core. Every nerve in his body had been dulled, and a fog was clouding his surroundings, save for a pier situated at the very end of the shore. The voice seemed to draw him to this spot, and Avdol felt his body move on its own accord.

As he drew closer to the pier, the singing grew louder and more distinct, and the fog surrounding him grew heavier and heavier. When he had reached the pier, all he could make out was the vague shape of someone near it's edge, their piercing cerulean eyes cutting through the fog like two tiny beacons. It seemed that the source of the singing was them, and Avdol couldn't help but to get closer. With each approaching step that Avdol took, another feature on the mysterious figure's face revealed itself; thick, black eyebrows that were furrowed in deep concentration, two fin-like ears that were flapping in time with the person's song, and plush lips that just barely hid countless rows of razor sharp teeth with every swooping note. Something about them struck Avdol as familiar, and with a jolt he realized that thiswas Kakyoin's boyfriend. He was propped up by his scale covered elbows on a rock, and what looked to be a mermaid's tail flicked lazily about in the water behind him.

"You... You can't be human." was all he could manage to say, still somewhat paralyzed with fear.

"No kidding," Kakyoin's lover replied in a deep, husky voice that didn't match his singing. "Was it the ears that tipped you off? Or maybe it was the tail. I'm guessing that's what it is, based on how hard you're staring."

"Pardon me," Avdol cleared his throat awkwardly. "It's just... Someone that I've taken under my care seemed quite adamant about finding someone, and you fit their bill perfectly."

The merman's ears wiggled a bit at his statement, but his expression remained stony and intimidating, which chilled Avdol to the bone. Even when he wasn't singing, there was still a slightly hazy air about him; as if he were nothing more than a mirage that would fizzle away in the blink of an eye.

"Hmph. Tell them I'm not interested. I already have enough trouble with humans as it is." he said dismissively, shifting a bit in what was obviously an attempt to leave.

"Wait, don't go quite yet!" Avdol silently cursed himself as the merman gave him a menacing glare. "Kakyoin-"

He swam closer and hoisted himself onto the pier in a frenzy, leaving Avdol little time to make space for him. His mouth was twisted into a furious snarl, leaving nothing to the imagination about how sharp his teeth were. He grabbed Avdol by the collar, his grip surprisingly strong for an ocean dweller.

"What did you do to him?" the merman asked, his eyes narrowing into thin slits. "If you hurt a single hair on his head, I'll make your life a living hell."

"I-it's not like that at all!" Avdol stuttered nervously, waving his hands in an attempt to calm both himself and the merman down. "I found Kakyoin on the shore a week or so ago on the brink of death, and I've been nursing him back to health this entire time-"

The merman let go of him with an exasperated sigh. He slicked his hair back and continued to glare at Avdol, almost searching him with his gaze.

"You're lucky that Noriaki trusts you. What's your name?"

"Avdol. Muhammad Avdol. And yourself, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Jotaro. That's all you need to know. So you're the man that practically kidnapped my boyfriend, eh?"

"I wouldn't call it kidnapping, but... I'd assume so, yes."

Jotaro rolled his eyes at this, but said nothing. Avdol couldn't get a read on his personality at all; he was more mysterious than the moon itself, and yet every emotion he had was thinly veiled by a guise of indifference. More than anything, however, he couldn't believe for a second that this was the person that Kakyoin was thinking of so desperately. Their personalities conflicted in almost every single way, yet they both seemed to have an unwavering amount of fondness for each other.

"Oi," Jotaro interrupted his train of thought with a snap. "I'm not done with you yet. Where is Noriaki now?"

"He's at my house, currently." said Avdol, thinking back to the last time he had laid eyes on Kakyoin. "Resting, I hope."

"When will I get to see him again?"

"I... I can't say for sure. His condition has been steadily improving, but there's no telling how the ocean air will affect him. I'm sorry..."

Jotaro heavily sighed and laid back on the pier, his fin-ears twitching agitatedly every so often. His previously dark gaze was clouded by what could only be worry, and Avdol swore that there was a small bit of guilt trapped behind his sharp blue eyes.

"If it means anything," Avdol saw the merman's ears perk up, causing him to crack a small smile. "Kakyoin cares quite a bit about you. You were the first thing he mentioned when he first woke up. I... don't know what kind of relationship you two share, but it's quite sweet."

Jotaro said nothing in response, which only prompted Avdol to fill in the silence more.

"And... I can let him know that I saw you today. I'm sure it'd make him happy."

"Yeah." Jotaro said, the slightest bit of a waver dotting his voice. "That'd be nice. Thanks."

"No worries. It was very nice to meet you, Jotaro. You're an upstanding lad."

"Mmph. Whatever. Take care of Noriaki for me, alright?"

"I will." Avdol stood with a smile, stretching towards the heavens. "And you take care of yourself, too."

The merman simply grunted and slipped back into the water, giving a small wave before disappearing completely. Avdol then set off for home, praying that his house wasn't turned upside down while he was gone.


End file.
